


From Scratch

by Ayzis



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-25 21:22:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15649185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ayzis/pseuds/Ayzis
Summary: MAINLY GENCY. But there's not a lot of romance from the start. Bear with me.I've always imagined the circumstances under which Genji had joined Overwatch and they were never pretty in my head. I've decided to put it all into fiction and I tried to touch every existing subject or topic in Overwatch, including tension between Mercy and Soldier 76 (a very interesting observation of the lack of their interactions in game and Angela's view on Overwatch's shutdown) and Genji going to Nepal and becoming Zenyatta's student.





	1. Lifeline

**Author's Note:**

> I like a lot of edge in fan fics.
> 
> Enjoy!

He laid idle for fleeting moments, wondering what had happened before _or_ after his uncle's voice rang to the echo and his brother's sword abode by its command.

He could distinctly register a faint beeping noise together with what sounded like cutlery carefully plunging into meat. He tried to pry his eyes open. Denied. The weight of his eyelids pulled them right down by the lashes.

He fought to get a glimpse of his surroundings. Was it hell, for there was no other domain of eternity for an assassin, or was it a dream?

"He's waking up. Pump more anesthesia." He heard a soft, muffled voice and drifted back into nihility.

~~

She hadn't had a break since the patient was brought to her headquarters four days ago. She was exhausted to the core, fueled by strong coffee and held up by her sense of responsibility. He was breathing faintly and unevenly.

"Madeline, sponge." She called out to the petite nurse who scurried up to her and wiped the droplets of sweat off her forehead.

Madeline didn't want to interrupt, so she kept the questions scalding her insides locked in her mouth for the time being.

Why was Dr. Ziegler installing artificial nerve receptors on the patient's missing limbs? She would usually let her patients rest and adapt for a while and only then, with their permission would she design their prosthetics. But it was different with that patient. Dr. Ziegler was in a rush.

Six hours later, having performed the surgery, the blonde doctor left the ward and entered her bedroom.

She ripped the surgical mask off her face and let the white gown fall off her shoulders as she sank into a soft armchair. The screen in front of her lit up and a call from Commander Morrison spread across it.

Ziegler sighed tiredly and pushed her feet to move her swivel chair.

"Ziegler on call."

"Doc, how did the surgery go?"

"Wounds have been closed, the jaw's been replaced, both legs and the right arm have been amputated, artificial receptors and clasps for armour have been planted. Full recovery should not be expected for 7 months, it's up to him to adapt." Doctor reported, glancing into the papers laying in front of her.

"Twelve engineers are working on building the prosthetics accordingly to your design with minor changes. They'll be ready by Monday."

 _"Two days from now."_ Ziegler thought. "What are the aforementioned minor changes?"

Commander hushed.

"You are weaponizing him, aren't you?"

"Dr. Ziegler, I want you to understand that saving that man will cost him. We need his might and his full potential to serve the greater good."

"To serve the greater good doesn't mean becoming a killing machine." Ziegler retorted, furrowing her eyebrows.

"This man has been born a Shimada. He's been raised and trained to be a cold-blooded murderer. We've had you save his life so we can explore and use his abilities for protecting humanity."

" _I_ saved him, Morrison, I saved him because I wanted to. You can make him a member of Overwatch if you manage, but I'm strongly against making him some kind of a living weapon prototype."

Morrison shook his head in denial, then said softly and sorrowfully:

"Don't forget whose resources allow you to save lives, Ziegler. Shimada now belongs to the higher executives, although he is and will remain under your surveillance as a patient until his full recovery. The choice of weaponizing him or not is not yours to make. We've made enough exceptions regarding the patient for you."

With that said, commander ended the call.

Ziegler fell back into her chair, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Amoralist son of a bitch." She gritted her teeth, nervously squeezing her sleeves.

The only exception they made for her was that they hadn't intrusted the patient to O'Deorain Moira, second in command medic of Overwatch Medical Headquarters. Ziegler knew that out of Moira's surgical ward, the patient would have come out half-lizard with a couple of tentacles.

She sighed tiredly in defeat and stripped out of her working clothes, moving towards the queen-sized bed in the further edge of her room.

The clock ticked loudly, announcing twelve in the morning.

"Three hours before I join Winston and Torbjorn. Five hours I've had of sleep in the past 4 days." She mumbled drowsily into the silk covers of her bed.

~~

She was running head-first towards the wards. Ward 147. Red lights flashed in the hallways and the announcers voice wouldn't stop asking for support in the ward 147.

She ran, fastening her badge and tying her hair on the go. The sound of her heels clashing against the tiled floors filled the air, deafening. Under normal circumstances, she'd have worn flat-soled trainers to the wards. But there was no _normal_ since Shimada Genji had been rescued.

It had been nine days now. His prosthetics had been attached, to Dr. Ziegler's surprise, with no drastic alterations of her own design but a dispenser on his right arm.

Dr. Ziegler burst into a hallway full of screaming nurses and destroyed decor. The red light flooded block C where the ward 147 was situated.

She fought her way past the panicked staff and towards a bloodcurdling scene: the patient Shimada was leaning against a wall, breathing heavily, his remaining arm, covered in countless scars was splattered with crimson liquid from freshly opened wounds. His face was perspiring heavily, there was a bit of his mechanical jaw peeking out of the long tear across his mock flesh, his bloodshot eyes wildly darted around the room, twitching. His whole body shook like it was about to fall apart.

A guard appeared behind the patient, about to stick the syringe with a strong anesthetic agent in the back of his neck. A blink before the two would've made contact, Genji fixed his eyes upon the man. He caught his fist with his good hand, then elbowed him in the stomach. In pain, the guard bent in half, Genji leaned forwards and threw him over his shoulder.

Immediately, another guard jumped him from the side, trying to pin him down. One could see how much Genji struggled to move his body. It was burdening him - so stiff, so heavy. Still, he went right down and under the man, his leg drew a semicircle in the air as it kicked the second guard off his feet.

The first one had got up in the meantime and was now charging at Genji at full speed.

The patient's face furrowed in pain, he failed to move his limbs and got pushed into a wall. His teeth gritted and eyes glowed in fury, a red steak of blood trickled down his forehead.

As the guard was trying to put restricting cuffs on Genji, the cyborg thrust his head, hitting his forehead on the guard's and broke loose from his hold.

The uneven fight left Genji exhausted. He knelt in defeat, breathing heavily.

Dr. Ziegler ran up to two nurses fallen on the ground beside the ward. "What happened?"

"He- he- awoke and suddenly started to throw himself against everything and- and everyone." Madeline uttered through tears of terror.

Ziegler nodded her head briefly and stood up. She motioned others to lower their guns and step back. She faced the berserker that stood on one knee, still fighting to move.

"Can you hear my voice?" She asked strongly, keeping her hands in front of her to show that she wielded no weapon.

The patient twitched, surprise washed over his mien momentarily as he recognized the voice.

"You're safe with us, nobody wants to do you harm." The soft voice and the strong German accent were impossible to misidentify. They belonged to the woman who Genji thought was a surgeon from his dream.

Immediately, iron rushed to his head, clouding his thoughts, rage boiled his blood and sorrow flooded his heart. She was the one who turned him into _...this._ A machine. An artificial vessel with melancholic memories of his own demise.

In a blink of an eye, the robotic limbs which wouldn't obey him a moment ago dashed him behind the blonde doctor, almost through her. He single-handedly rimmed the back of her neck and sooner than Ziegler could acknowledge, she was swinging face-first towards the floor.

She saw a droplet of sweat roll off the bridge of her nose and fall to the ground an inch away. Her eyes stared agape and she now gently sank to the floor, holding her head in her hands.

She heard agonizing scream of her patient and upon looking up, there were blue shockwaves flashing all across his body. His spine curved inwards and fingers twitched until he collapsed, senseless. Smoke rising in a swirl from the circuits of his prosthetics.

"Winston!" Ziegler shrieked, holding onto her heart that was jumping out of the cage of her ribs.

"Dr. Ziegler, when something threatens to mash your face against the floor, we zap it." Winston remarked, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Two guards picked Genji's unconscious body up and hauled him towards the restricted block D.

"Nobody else touch him, take his prosthetics off, I'll be there in a minute." Dr. Ziegler commanded, wiping her trousers.

"Angela, he's already tried to hurt you once." Winston reminded, arching his eyebrows crossly.

"I'm not afraid of my ptientp. I stole him out of death's claws and cut half his body off, most of his vital organs are an artificial tissue, the last thing he remembers is being murdered by whatever almost took his life! Of course he's perplexed. There was no need to force the prosthetics on him before he had a chance to wake up and decide for himself!"

Winston nodded in understanding. "Allow me to go with you." And before Angela had a chance to glare, he added. "I will let him neither see nor hear me."

~~

He was sat in a blank room with automatic doors and no furniture. His legs, rather, the remains of his thighs were lifelessly spread across the white floor, left arm hanging from his loosened shoulders and head had been thrown back, avoiding looking at his body that he despised so much. He didn't want to be there. Neither in this white room, nor in this mechanical vessel that even with the prosthetics off, remained half machine.

"I've been told you speak English. Please raise your hand if you can hear me." That voice again.. It was driving him up the wall.

He ignored the request, continuing to lifelessly stare into the ceiling.

"Please, raise your hand or nod your head if you can hear me, Mr. Shimada."

Upon hearing his dreadful last name, Genji shot his gaze towards the camera on the wall.

It was more than enough for Dr. Ziegler to make a conclusion.

"I understand that the new environment, new-" She hesitated a bit. "-new body. It's all too much to take in at once. But those were the unavoidable necessities we had to make to save your life. I swear that by all means, I've done everything to help improve the quality of your life with prosthetics."

One could read the distinct apathy present on Genji's face. He was taking none of what the doctor was on about.

Sighing heavily, Ziegler muted the microphone and started to walk out of the surveillance room.

"Angela?" Winston called worriedly.

"His limbs are disengaged, there's nothing he can do to me."

A black outline of an automatic door appeared on the blank wall in front of Genji and sank into the floor, revealing a lean figure standing on the other side.

A blonde doctor from before walked in and crouched in front of him. He didn't move, he had no strength to spare, trying to move his leftover body left him drained.

"I'm very sorry about what happened earlier." Her melodic voice announced, catching Genji off guard. What was she sorry about? He was the one who attacked her.

A thin string of conscience started to sow him down the middle. She spoke so gently, so genuinely.

"I'm head doctor of the Overwatch Medical Headquarters. I spent 4 days fighting for your life and it's the greatest miracle that you're with us today." She smiled morosely, cupping her knees.

He turned his neck sharply, noisily, giving the doctor a cold glare.

"I never asked you to fight for my life."

The rubies of his eyes bore holes through her bright azurites. He stared in both hatred and wonder. The woman in front of him.. She saved him from what seemed like the inevitable doom.. What _was_ she?

"I know you didn't, but as a doctor-" She shook her head. "-as a human, I would have never left you to die. When they brought you into my headquarters, hanging onto life by a thread, there was no way I was giving up on you. Not because of the orders I've been given, but because I care for your life as much as I care for my own." Dr. Ziegler spilled her heart out. She had started learning medicine from a young age because she wholeheartedly wished to help people and she'd never once hesitated to put her time, effort and even life on line for someone who sought help.

She'd always been the most dedicated medic.

Genji's breathing evened out and his eyes softened. He thought he was ready to break down. In a desperate time when his own family sentenced him to die and he'd lost everything he had, she, a complete stranger with mesmerising azurites and blond hair, reached out and saved him.

Now he knew, in front of his eyes had materialized his guardian angel.

He put his only hand over his face, his eyes staring widely through the gaps between his fingers. His chest and throat trembled as if he was about to weep.

Dr. Ziegler's features eased and a delicate smile rolled over her lips when suddenly she saw her patient starting to pull on the artificial skin on his jaw where it had torn.

Steaming tears started to roll down his cheeks as he procceeded to vandalize his newly attained face.

Ziegler gasped worriedly and clutched his hand with both of hers, pulling it away from his face.

"Please, we'll figure it out. We'll alter everything accordingly to your own liking and comfort. I promise, Mr. Shimada." She pleaded.

She felt his hand give up the fight and he relaxed, sinking into the corner.

"It's Genji.." He uttered quietly, bowing his head.

Angela smiled. "I'm Angela Ziegler, your personal doctor till the day you recover fully, Genji." She then felt his hand tighten, as if giving her his trust.

Since then, he'd wear lighter, simplified prosthetics in order to get back to the advanced ones. It took him three months to build up the courage and recover to wear those again and by that time, most of his wounds had nearly healed.

That's when commander Morrison paid him a visit.

Genji was in his ward, toning his muscles on a treadmill as he learned to walk again. The sudden visit of an unknown to him man was unexpected and quite mortifying to him. He was still conscious of his appearance and therefore wore a metal mask that concieled the lower part of his face when in presence of others.

"Excuse my impertinence." Commander Morrison grinned, his arms tucked on his lower back as he watched Genji clumsily get off the treadmill and rush to fetch his mask.

"Even Dr. Ziegler makes sure to knock before she comes in.." Genji said grimly, fastening the mask in place. He stood by the windowsill, then turned to the man who seemed to be of a higher rank.

"It's been a while, I should've come to see you long by now, but I'm afraid your doctor insisted I'd give you some time. We've been watching your health carefully, in the medical records, training facilities. We've concluded it's time you joined us."

Genji cocked a brow, not catching on.

"What are you talking about?"

"Tell me, Shimada Genji. What do you know about Overwatch?" Morrison quizzed, looking the man in the eyes.

"I know just enough. Cut it short."

"I advise you change the attitude, son. You're talking to the first in command, Jack Morrison. Your _commander._ " Morrison was growing visibly impatient.

"You're no commander to me." Genji's eyes sharpened and teeth clenched.

"I'm here to clear the air, Shimada. My troops have rescued you after you were ordered to be executed by the elders or your clan. We saved you from your own family. The Shimada clan has been a splinter in the ass for a while and you, Shimada Genji, are going to help us bring them down."

Genji could feel his blood starting to boil. His fists clenched at his sides as he raised his head.

"I've never wished to partake in my family's business, so I was sentenced to pay the price. I may have lost my body, but I will not lose my honor. Don't underestimate the Shimada empire. If you saved me so I could die fighting my family again, you shouldn't have saved me in the first place."

Morrison sighed in fatigue, he tapped his foot on the floor for a second and then looked Genji dead in the eye.

"Once the criminal reign of Shimadas is over, our partnership's done. You can quit and continue on with your life."

"There's nothing to continue.." The cyborg said, languor weighing down his voice.

"I'll give you some time to think about it. But remember who are your enemies and who are your friends." Morrison said as he turned around, his blue jacket waving in the air. He shut the door behind himself, leaving Genji one on one with his thoughts.

~~

He held an ideograph to the screen, waiting for it to light up. The automatic doors sank to the floor and he entered a squicky-clean office.

"I'll be right there. Wait for me at the big surgical table."

He silently moved towards the said table that he was so familiar with and sat down, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. A few seconds later Dr. Ziegler came running down the stairs, a clipboard in her hands and a joyful smile on her face.

"How are the wounds doing, Genji?" She wondered, laying the clipboard aside. She carefully spread her equipment across the bulky table and gestured Genji to stretch his left arm towards her.

"I'm healing very quickly.."

"The wonders of modern medicine." The blond announced as she cut the knot on one of the stitches and started to pull the strings out.

"Thank you, Dr. Ziegler." The patient murmured, bowing his head low. He put his hand on his hip, trying his best not to disturb the doctor working with his other arm.

"Is there something on your mind?" Angela glanced at him through her lashes.

He twitched in place. He couldn't put his finger on why he was such an open book in front of her.

She finished unstitching the wound and moved on to another.

"Now, tell me about what's bothering you."

"Commander Morrison visited me the other day." Genji confessed, watching Angela's eyes sink at the mentioning of the name.

"What did he want?"

"He said I have to join Overwatch and help bring my clan down." He spat, arching his eyebrows angrily.

Angela pinched him with the tweezers purposely, but the hard pressure she applied only made him turn his head.

"Shimadas are the most notorious clan in Japan. From dealing drugs to selling weapons, they've got crime written all over them. You're not one of them, Genji, so they exiled you, they tried to kill you. But you're here now, you're alive and you can help end all this."

"What else am I? I'm alive, Doctor, but that's it. I'm a machine."

Angela put the tweezers down, bowing her head so that a shadow obscured the view of her eyes.

"You're not a machine, Genji. You're still flesh and blood, maybe for the least, but there's a living heart inside your chest, pumping real blood through your veins. You still feel, think, talk, you need oxygen, food, water. You're a human."

Genji's eyes softened, saddened. He huffed, running his hand through his hair.

"I'm now in debt of Overwatch because of something I never wanted, forced to serve people I do not honor and who don't honor me. This is not a life worth living."

"You speak about honor, yet you don't know what honor it is to serve people. Your family did _this_ to you, one of their own. What they do to others for power and money, it's unspeakable. Overwatch needs you to save lives, to stop wars and defend the innocent. How is this not a life worth living?" She questioned, hurt by both his reluctance to live and his world view.

"Ever tried being rescued barely in time just so someone could use you?" His bloodshot eyes pierced right through hers. He pushed his chair back, observing the silky scars on his arm. "This world is full of betrayal, dishonesty and cruelty. There is no redemption for it." He clenched his hand.

"Overwatch, Morrison, I, we all work so that there is peace and safety for everyone." Angela retorted. "I have faith in what I do and what I do it for. If you stay with us you can make the world a little better."

"By murdering my own family?"

"I do not believe in killing for peace, Genji. But you can help Overwatch stop them."

Genji let the words carefully sink into his mind. He took a deep breath in and stepped towards the doctor again.

"I'm ready for the advanced prosthetics to be reattached."

A faint smile gleamed on Angela's face. "So you've made your mind up?" She said as she pressed a few buttons on her watch.

Something clicked, the surgical table opened in a circular motion and the custom prosthetics ascended the surface.

 _"You know I don't have a choice."_ A thought ran across his mind.

"I'll have you lie down for this. It will take a while and attaching nerves to the receptors might hurt. But other than that, once you get used to them, you'll feel better than ever." Angela reassured, prepping the armoured pieces.

~~

Commander Morrison and Captain Amari stood silently beside each other, watching the recruit complete a run around the training facility, climb a wall, jump across the obstacles and throw shurikens at targets spread all over the room.

He was still a little shaky, for it had only been a few more weeks since they installed the advanced prosthetics, but he was still nothing like Amari and Morrison had ever seen before.

He was flexible, strong to the core and amazingly swift. There was no one on par with him when it came to technique. He left everyone astonished.

"Imagine a whole clan of such ninjas." Amari laughed, unable to take her eyes off the recruit.

"He's hiding the most important trick up his sleeve." Morrison remarked, his eyebrows furrowing nearer.

"He won't unleash the dragon unless there's a necessity." Amari announced, biting her lip. "But Jack, there's something I've been willing to tell you."

"Is it about his lifeline, right?"

Amari nodded.

"The burst of energy, which we suppose is the famous Shimada dragon, disappeared completely without a trace right when the subject's lifeline severed." Captain looked Morrison in the eye, grave seriousness written over her face.

"I am aware, Captain. Shimada Genji has indeed died. For seconds, maybe for hours. But what brought him back to life is not just Ziegler and that's for certain." Morrison said, freezing his eyes upon the head medic who was taking notes from behind the bulletproof glass panel.

"I've been thinking that the energy- the dragon transcended into his body to temporarily resume the missing vital functions. If we only knew what it is and if it's still there.. We might be dealing with not just the greatest source of energy, but also regeneration."

The two were interrupted by Dr. Ziegler talking unnecessarily loudly into the microphone, notifying them that their conversation'd been disturbing.

"Excellently done, Genji. You can rest now." With that said, Angela muted the microphone again and delicately picked up her clipboard. "Whatever you're looking for either has been worn out completely or regenerates at a painfully slow rate. It's been almost 5 months now and there's still no trace of it."

"Or," Amari raised a pointer finger. "Only he can summon it."

The three of them exited the observation room and joined the recruit in the gym where he was catching breath.

Dr. Ziegler headed straight for the bench that he was seated on to do the usual check-up.

"I'm short of words, recruit. You haven't fully recovered yet and already show more promise than I did at the age of 30." Morrison said to lighten the mood, only to receive a lifeless glare in return.

"Not very talkative, is he? Exactly how I like men." Captain Amari laughed. She was a sweet mother in her fifties. "Genji, we could use such an exceptional talent. We're here to hear your final decision."

They all knew there was no freedom of choice. Whatever Genji would have decided, he was still tied to Overwatch by debt.

Tension rose in the air and after a moment of silence, Genji spoke up, slowly and confidently: "Dr. Ziegler, _you_ are the one I owe my life to." He then turned to the commander and the captain. "For the kindness of her heart, I shall provide my services in return."

Although he had just agreed to join Overwatch, Morrison wasn't exactly happy with his little speech, for he had empowered Dr. Ziegler while undeniable antagonism hung between him and the commander.

Being Angela's patient, he was technically under stronger control of her than of Morrison, so it would stay until the day Genji recovered fully and _she_ knew it well. The tiny, yet overwhelmingly victorious smile on her face gave it away.

"From this day on, you belong in Blackwatch. A special operation department under Gabriel Reyes' command and Dr. Angela Ziegler's medical supervision. We're honoured to work with you, recruit Shimada." Captain Amari announced, making Angela question her decision for one last time.

Was it the right choice to put Genji in Blackwatch just to avoid experiments regarding his spirit dragon? The dreadfully insane Moira O'Deorain belonged to the same branch of Overwatch, after all.


	2. Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a lot going on. Hold onto your hats ladies and gentlemen.

Genji stood in the center of a large 2 person room. There was a sickeningly thick smell of tabacco lingering in the air. Beside the only used bed out of the two, there laid an ashtray and an empty glass with a sediment building up from the bottom of it.

Genji glanced at the walls. There was a wide window looking out at a neighbouring block. The only thing 'beautifying' the grim walls were a couple of shooting targets hanging above the occupied bed.

Genji assumed an airsoft gun was used on those just for the entertainment, judging by the holes in them.

Although Genji liked the spaciousness that the minimum of furniture in the room provided, there was still this prison vibe coming off of every wall, saying nothing of the ashes and dirty sheets with splatters of blood.

"Could that be my new roommate?" A tall, tanned man in a cowboy hat entered the room. He wore a cream-coloured dressing shirt tucked into black trousers, pointy, heeled leather boots, a matching leather belt and a holster. A red handkerchief was tied around his neck.

"I'm Jesse Mccree, nice to meet ya." The man stuck his hand out for a shake.

"Genji." The cyborg bowed his head courtly, ignoring the hospitable hand reaching him.

"Sorry about the room. I haven't called in for a clean-up ever since I'd left for a mission." Jesse huffed as he plopped down onto his bed. "Don't tell Reyes I've been smoking in 'ere, alright? He'll skin me alive." The cowboy laughed, putting his arms under his head.

"How'd _you_ end up here?" Genji wondered.

"One does not simply _end up_ in Overwatch, my cyborg friend." Jesse released a faint laughter. "I'm from Deadlock and should've been in prison, but here I am, because of commander Reyes."

"So we from criminal backgrounds are put in Blackwatch to clean up our own mess." Genji sighed.

"Deadlock's gone, Genji. I'm an Overwatch agent and I do what I exceed in - when it comes to shootin' something, I'm your guy." Mccree said nonchalantly, shrugging.

"I wouldn't entrust shooting to someone who seems to be missing the ashtray." Genji squinted his eyes, smearing a bundle of ash that laid by his feet with his sole.

Jesse released a solemn laughter as he pushed himself off the bed and tucked an arm around Genji's shoulder. "I think we'll make a great team."

~~

5 Years Later

~~

The operation squad's return was devastating for whole Overwatch. That evening lights dimmed and so did voices. Everyone was free to bid their final goodbye to the bravely fallen captain of Overwatch. Ana Amari was pronounced dead after evidently having been shot by a Talon sniper. Her headpiece was cut off right after a shot was heard. Supposedly struck the head area. Nothing had been heard of the captain since and on her previous location her team found nothing but a pool of blood. The whereabouts of the corpse were unknown and it was kept a secret from the rest of the organization.

Some clad in the colour of mourning, others in their respective uniforms, some bringing roses, others - white lilies.

Angela stood by an old oak in the graveyard. Her knee-length, plain dress looked as astonishing on her as a formal gown would, so Genji thought. He wasn't all too well familiar with Ana. She was a sweet old lady at first glance, but a hawk once she took the hold of her rifle. An exceptional shoot and an agent most valuable.

She was kind to him on every occasion and she'd started to grow on him. It saddened him deeply to not have her around any longer, yet alone to have been there and unable to prevent it.

He slowly walked up to Angela and lingered there for a while, not saying a word.

"I... I can hardly believe it." Dr. Ziegler uttered, her voice crisp and throat sore from crying.

"It's just as hard for me to believe." Genji pondered, looking into the sky. "Someone outsniped captain Amari."

"Nobody could have. That's out of question. Right when her earpiece cut off and we heard a shot, she muttered some gibberish, as hard as it's been to listen to her last breath, she sounded astounded. Something caught her off guard, Genji."

Genji scanned the area around them before he leaned closer and said in a quiet voice:

"Do we know what has become of her body?"

Angela shook her head. "That information's confidential. But just so it doesn't gnaw on you, I don't know anything either. For whatever reasons, the higher executives have decided to keep it a secret."

A loud clatter of heeled boots filled the air as a black cape flailed gently in the wind, dragged by a tired, injured since the mission McCree. He nearly stumbled towards the grave, his hand clutching a golden pin.

The tanned man slowly collapsed onto his knees, his head bowed low. He brought the pin to his mouth and planted a kiss on it before placing it on the already filled grave.

He took his hat off and pressed it hard against his heart. He gritted his teeth in vain attempts of keeping the wails down.

"You shall dwell in our hearts forever, ma'am." He beat the words out of himself.

McCree didn't linger long at the grave. He collected the strength to retreat to the dorms instantly.

"McCree and captain were close?" Genji furrowed his eyebrows sorrowfully.

"Ana had taught Jesse everything he knows. The pin he put on the grave.. I think I know what it is." Angela took a few steps towards the far away grave, as if trying to get a better look. "Ana taught Jesse how to shoot.. The only time he won against her in the shooting range she gave him a pin she'd got in a shooting competition when she was around the same age."

"McCree didn't look like a sentimental man."

"But he is. Very. He adored and was adored by captain Amari."

Genji looked into the sky wistfully, saddening visibly.

"Let's go, Genji.. It's getting crowded here."

The two walked silently along the sullen halls, passing dozens of mourners by. Ana's portrait hung in the main hall.

"She was so beautiful in youth." Genji remarked as they entered the elevator.

Angela leaned on the wall, crossing her arms over her chest.

"All operations are resuming in approximately an hour. That's all the time they gave us to mourn. Sick bastards." She cussed, arching her eyebrows.

"They?" Genji wondered, raising his head.

"The higher executives. The ones keeping Overwatch on the leash, just like with Ana's case."

"What?"

Angela brought her index finger to her lips, shushing Genji sternly.

They made a beeline to the accomodation blocks, swiftly entering Blackwatch's department.

"So, Talon's sniper, Ana couldn't care less about a Talon agent. There are only two people on my mind that could have caused her to hesitate." Jesse appeared out of his and Genji's room, beckoning the two inside.

"She would shoot even me had I been pointing a rifle at Overwatch agents." Angela stated.

"She wouldn't shoot you, immediately, that is, one, had you been her daughter and two, had you been the one we set out to rescue." McCree proclaimed strongly, sitting down on his bed.

"Amelie Lacroix.." Angela pondered, pacing up and down the room. "It makes sense."

"It totally makes sense." McCree exclaimed, flailing his arms.

"I don't get it." Genji grumbled, worn out by the lack of details.

"Agent Lacroix's wife Amelie's abduction led us to Talon. We risk our lives trying to save her and then bam. She's the one cutting down our troops from the cover. Ana aligns her rifle, sees Amelie in the scope and is as shocked as much as doc is right now." McCree drew attention to Angela who was sitting quietly opposite him with her eyes agape.

"Talon disposes of the body and Overwatch tries to sweep their miscalculation under the rug. They hold details of Ana's death a secret and continue an investigation involving higher powers. This has gotten pretty serious." Angela filled in.

"Our captain died, of course it's gotten serious." Genji said through gritted teeth as his fist shook.

"Fareeha will be here soon. I need to talk to her." Angela glanced at the clock.

"Doc, you know you can't tell her what we've just talked about, right?"

"I won't, until we prove it to be true." She assured, crossing her arms. "Don't you want to talk to her too?"

"I can't look her in the eyes after I've let her mother die." McCree said, rubbing his temple.

"You didn't _let_ anyone die, Jesse. Stop beating yourself over what was out of your control." Angela said strictly, shooting McCree a glare.

"I was there and I couldn't help. The end." He put his face in his hands. "I'll find who did this and I'll give them a bullet hole in the head to remember me by." McCree growled, releasing his face.

"Let's get a subject at hand, shall we? If it really is Amelie Lacroix.. How? Or why?" Angela questioned.

"How? - With a rifle. And why? - maybe we were mistaken about her from the start.. Maybe Talon blackmailed her. I wouldn't know, but living in a world where brother kills a brother, the reason doesn't even bother me any longer." McCree stuck a cigar in his mouth, looking nowhere in particular.

"You didn't have to.." Angela said almost in a whisper, tossing a brief glance at Genji.

"Oh shoot, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--" Jesse panicked, but was relieved when Genji waved him off.

"What are we going to do with what we've brewed here?" Genji asked.

"I'm going to talk to Gabe." McCree answered without a delay.

"You know commander is on a short leash after Venice.." Genji shook his head.

"I also know he doesn't obey the rules. That's why he's ought to take some action, dig up more information we might find useful."

"Out of question. Gabriel is not to be trusted in this case."

"And what do you propose?! To talk to Morrison who will simply advice us to keep our mouths shut?! He's a goody-two-shoes, mister don't upset the higher assholes. Gabe is not like him!" McCree raged, hopping off the bed.

"I'd rather think this through as well.. Overwatch's name has already been blackened thanks to the hot-headed Gabriel." Angela said sheepishly.

"Then you can all wait for Ana's name to be forgotten and her case being passed like a simple death on duty. I'm not going to wait around for that. I'll avenge her and prevent anyone else I love from dying." McCree announced and stomped out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Angela sighed heavily, hugging her shoulders. "He needs to calm down.. To think clearly."

"I'm sure he won't do anything stupid. Even if he does, commander Reyes won't just move an army on Talon. It'll be fine." Genji assured, gently patting her hand.

"At this point I'm more afraid that he'll go by himself.." Angela said aloud, nestling closer to the cyborg. "Keep an eye on him, Genji."

~~

"Fareeha."

"Angela." The tall, dark woman approached the blonde.

"I am so sorry about Ana. I wish she at least had a chance to bid you a goodbye." Angela chirped as she captured Fareeha in an embrace.

"And I wish her death isn't in vain." The daughter said coldly, faintly hugging the blonde back.

The two lingered longer at the grave, silently staring at the stone with dozens and dozens of bouquets lying at its feet.

"I.. wanted to see her for the last time." Fareeha confessed, clenching her fists. "I always thought I had the hardest life. Living with a mother who loved me to death, but could barely spare me some time because of her busy schedule."

"It must have been hard." Angela was somewhat relieved Fareeha didn't question the burial being so rushed. Even Fareeha didn't know her mother's body was missing.

"It was bittersweet.. Very rarely she'd pick me up from school.. Those are some of my happiest memories. And her bringing me to work, too." A single tear rolled down Fareeha's face. "I've always wanted to be like her, to serve in Overwatch, but she didn't want that for me, so I went to Helix Security. I wanted her to be proud of me."

"She was always proud of you. And wanted the best for you." Angela assured strongly.

"Thank you, Angela. I feel very small right now. It's always been my greatest fear that one day she'll leave for a mission and never return." Fareeha blinked, allowing the beads of tears to streak across her cheeks.

"Fareeha.."

"There's no fear now, at least. I'll be okay.. After a while." She'd always wanted to be strong and after years of hard work and dedication, she had achieved that. But at that moment, at that moment she just wanted to _seem_ strong.

~~

"You seem close with Ana's daughter." Genji commented, lazily shoveling food into his mouth.

"We used to be very close." Angela explained, aimlessly poking her food with a fork as her cheek laid on her palm. "If she worked at Overwatch, our relationship would have been the same. I don't know how Ana'd react to that, though." Angela almost choked on the tears that came upon mentioning Ana.

"You two were..?"

"We were. But it's in the past. I just wish that after all these years we met somewhere other than her mother's funeral.."

After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, Genji put the chopsticks down and turned his face to Angela, his voice rang in a tremble:

"Since this all has begun I've been thinking.. I don't want to make this about me but--"

"You don't need any excuses with me, alright? I understand you." The woman smiled.

He nodded courtly. "I wonder if they ever held a funeral for me back home, if they mourned me at all."

"I can't tell you that for certain, but you're alive, you're here - at your new home and we, your new family, rejoice that you're with us, so why think whether someone mourns you or not?" The blonde said in a sing-song voice.

"Thank you." He bowed his head, continuing his meal. "But I do think about that often.."

~~

"We've run into the same problem again, miss Ziegler." Madeline burst through the door and reported, scrolling through her tablet. "His prosthetics keep disengaging."

"Have you double checked the joints, are nerve receptors stable?"

"Triple checked. Nothing out of ordinary in the prosthetics."

"Alright, I'm coming." The blonde doctor pushed her chair back and stormed after Madeline into her office.

His back was laying flat on the table, his prosthetics wired to a computer as Madeline ran more tests over him, his shoulders shaking as he growled loudly from pain. His fingers kept digging into the surface before they'd clutch his robotic arm tightly, as if trying to tear it off.

"Genji, I've been carefully watching the records, there's absolutely no reason for your prosthetics to glitch except for one." Ziegler started, forgetting for a second that the patient was in agonizing pain in front of her.

Out of nowhere, a wire snapped, electrocuting Genji's right arm. He could no longer keep the shriek of pain lingering in his throat. He let out a bloodcurdling scream, slamming his arm against the table.

"Take it off!" He grabbed his shoulder, starting to flinch and twirl in place.

"Madeline! Shut the computer down!" Angela commanded, reaching for the prosthetics to try and detach them, but Genji's restlessness made it impossible.

"Take it off now! Please!" He pleaded in a loud cry, his head thrown back, wide, glowing eyes glued to the ceiling.

"If you calm down a bit, I will!" Ziegler retorted, failing to reach the hidden emergency clasps on the underside of the prosthetic.

"Dr. Ziegler, where is it?" Genji growled through clenched teeth, trying to stay put as his body shook hideously.

"Right above the armpit, there's a small clasp you have to open, then press the button." Angela explained as she did it on her own. Once the tiny button was pressed, Genji's right arm detached and fell to the table.

The cyborg released a deep sigh of relief as he laid his head on the side and waited for his breath to even out.

"Madeline, fetch him some water." Angela mused for a second. "And a glass of whiskey for me."

"Doctor," Madeline giggled, nodding her head. "It's the fourth time I have McCree smuggle some in for you. Since when do you drink?"

"You know, it's bad for your health, but the best for everything else." Ziegler waved the nurse off. Once Madeline disappeared out of the office, she picked up a paper tissue and gently dabbed it on Genji's perspiring forehead.

Genji's hollow eyes stared right ahead, his chest pounding. "That was worse than Winston's Tesla gun."

"I don't like that at all, Genji." The blonde doctor shook her head. "It's you."

"What?"

"I don't know how you manage, but you are rejecting the prosthetics. The nerves keep disconnecting and causing you discomfort and pain, just like if you had dislocated a limb. You need to think of this body as your own, not any different from bones and tissue, just stronger and better.. Once you do that, your nerves will stop straining and will sit snugly within the receptors. It's a complicated technology that requires maximum synchronization. That's what you're lacking."

"I will never be one with this body.. It's not me, not human. I can't treat it as one." Genji uttered, squinting his eyes as his fist clenched.

"You've held up so well until this point.. What happened?" Angela asked in a concerned tone when suddenly it hit her. "Genji.. Has Moira somehow interfered?"

The man's body froze, his eyes opened, unblinking as he avoided his doctor's gaze.

Madeline walked into the room, feeling the atmosphere deaden. She laid two glasses on the table and nodded at Ziegler. "My shift is over, I can stay if you need me, though."

"Thank you, sweetheart. No need for that. Have a nice evening." Angela waved with a smile.

"Thank you for your work, Madeline." Genji mumbled tiredly, pushing himself up against the table with his only remaining arm.

The automatic door shut again and Angela handed Genji a glass of water. He shook his head and gestured to the glass of whiskey.

"One more drinking buddy patient." The doctor scowled jokingly. She sat on the surgical table next to Genji and raised the glass to his mouth. She held his back as he reached for the whiskey.

"I can barely taste it." His eyes saddened. There was a certain spark of anger in them.

"Can you take these off? I can't move them anyway.." He patted his robotic legs.

"Sure. Although I _am_ very concerned." She said and did as he asked after a minute or two of complications.

"How can you call this human? I can take my legs off whenever I like." Genji stated, wiggling the remains of his thighs.

"A lot of people live with that on a daily basis." Ziegler defended, helping Genji sit upright.

"People can also actually taste and feel."

"We had to replace your jaw completely, your lower teeth, even your tongue, I'm afraid the artificial tissue doesn't have any taste buds, you can still taste with the roof of your mouth." Ziegler reassured, putting Genji's prosthetics aside.

"A 'human' with an artificial mouth." Genji scoffed.

"Genji," Angela raised her voice a little. She took a swig of the rest of the whiskey and snuggled closer to him.

"You can feel, you can think, you can hurt, you're human. Now back to the question, did Moira do something to you?"

"I've been told to keep Blackwatch private, but I will answer you. Commander and I were both participants of her latest experiment. It's just some kind of liquid that raises performance quality. Makes one a lot faster, stronger, more resistant to pain---"

"I know all that, it's _my_ technology!" Angela interrupted, nearly yelling in Genji's face. "Moira and I had been working on it together. We found out it affects the human body in peculiar ways and I shut the project down immediately, she carried on with it, though. I bet she didn't even tell you what the negative effects of it are before she made you her Guinea pig." Dr. Ziegler was furious. Her fists shook and eyes lit ablaze.

"Angela, pull yourself together." Genji's hand grasped hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Doctor O'Deorain assured us that it is safe."

"It can never be completely safe to artificially boost one's abilities. If she continues on experimenting on you, you will constantly feel nauseous, your body will twitch, nerves will pulse and even sever. You may die from this."

"I won't take part in any of these experiments anymore. Will that put you at ease?" He said softly, taking both of her hands in his remaining one.

"Yes, it will. Partially." Angela sighed in relief. "I've got to stop her from hurting Gabriel."

"You can't tell Morrison."

"What?!" Angela outraged, giving Genji a glare. "She's committing a crime, breaking rules. I've got to report her. Genji, I know you believe that commander Reyes is just a rebel that does what Morrison doesn't have the nerve to do, but it's not like that. Morrison has to clean up his mess afterwards, every time, just so Overwatch can keep functioning. Gabriel needs to stop. He's endangering all of us."

"He hasn't been all sane recently.. I think he's losing it." Genji beat the words of concern out of himself.

"I can only hope you're wrong, Genji."

~~

"Doctor Ziegler, what an unexpected visit." Moira said with a forced smile, laying a vial on the table as she stood in front of it to obscure the view.

"Doctor O'Deorain, you know I wouldn't have stepped in here had it not been a grave matter." Angela ran her eyes over the laboratory in utter shock. The jars of animal fetuses awed her the most.

"Get to the matter at hand, please." The short haired woman sighed. "I'm a little bit busy."

"Ran out of lab animals? Moved on to my patients instead? I know you've interfered with Genji's treatment."

"Allow me to remind you, Ziegler, that Shimada Genji hasn't been _your_ patient for 4 years now."

"It doesn't give you the right to perform forbidden experiments on him."

"Oh but they're not forbidden." Moira assured, crossing her arms. "Reyes has approved of them completely."

"What did Strike Commander have to say about this?"

"Morrison doesn't get a say in Blackwatch's business."

"Whatever you're doing to Genji and Gabriel has to stop. You're putting their lives in danger."

"I never did it against their will. McCree refused from the start and I haven't bothered him since."

It was strange. If something like that was going on in Blackwatch, McCree would be the first one to inform Angela that Genji's involved.

"You've stolen my technology. I won't condone that." Angela grumbled, gritting her teeth.

"You aborted that project and I gave it another life. I made it better, usable, effective." Moira defended.

"Side effects have already ruined Genji's prosthetics. His nerves pulse out of control and don't fit in the receptors anymore. How much harm do your experiment need to do before you stop?"

"You're mistaken in one thing. The results can not be fatal. These are biotic cells injected into their bodies. Little by litte, they replace the old ones. The new cells cannot die."

"The stakes are too high. A normal body can't contain so many cells decaying and regenerating at once."

"We're yet to see that, Ziegler."

"I'll have you know that you've got only one guinea pig left. And I'll make sure that is taken away from you too." Angela turned on her heel and stormed towards the exit.

"We use rabbits in this lab, not guinea pigs." Moira shouted after her, glancing lovingly at the cage full of rabbits. Once Angela had disappeared behind the shut door, Moira returned to the vial and continued to add substances into it.

"Ziegler may have gotten her cyborg boyfriend out of this, but at least I'm almost done with Gabriel." She grinned, twirling the vial to mix the contents around.


	3. Dragons

"I can't believe Talon made such fools out of us." Gabriel slammed his fist on the table. "Can't wait to get my hands on every last one of these bastards."

"You won't be getting your hands on anyone for a while after Venice, Gabe." Morrison shook his head.

"But you can still do it, catch them all, put them in a cage and watch them escape just like Doomfist did."

"The public doesn't like us executing people. We've had crowds protesting in front of the Swiss headquarters Because of what you did to Antonio."

"Talon's influence is so strong because unlike us they don't have this burden of caring about the happiness of some pacifist who doesn't know what it takes to keep somebody safe." Gabriel growled, bowing his head.

"It is your burden too, Gabe, yet I'm the only one trying to keep this boat floating. You've acted hot-headedly and whole Overwatch paid the consequences."

"And now we've started paying with lives for our idleness. Ana's gone down, who else are you willing to lose before we put an end to Talon?!"

"I'm not going to lose anyone esle. We're continuing to look for Ana. She must be somewhere."

"We heard her being shot in the head, Jack!" Gabriel raged, regretting his words a second later. He wearily swayed left and right as he plopped onto a chair, agitated.

"At this point I don't even want to believe she lived. That would mean.." Morrison put his head in his hands.

"That Talon took her like they took Gerard's wife." Reyes finished.

The two fell silent, letting the heavy air wrap around them like a noose.

"Nobody can know Ana Amari might be Talon's newest addition to their sniper collection. If they know our arch nemesis has got our captain, they'll raise hell. Overwatch might not get another chance."

"Overwatch might not last long if it keeps going at this pace." Gabriel said lastly as he started to leave the office.

"You want results and so do I. But your neglect towards the authorities is unfitting of a commander. Screw up again and we'll be cut off at the neck, Gabriel."

"Fuck off, Jack."

Once the door closed behind Reyes' back, Morrison sighed heavily and reached for the comm on his table.

"Invite Ziegler in." He ordered, sinking into a large couch with his arms spread across the backrest.

In a second, Angela entered and seated herself opposite commander.

"What's the sudden visit about?"

"I came to apologize." Angela said strongly, crossing her legs. "I was wrong all along. I was wrong to distrust you with Genji and I was wrong to put him in Blackwatch despite your warnings."

Caught off guard, Morrison leaned over, now holding his hands together between his knees. His eyebrows knitted and concern washed over his face.

Having coughed into her fist, Angela continued:

"I was scared you'd simulate what had happened to him in Hanamura to get the dragon out.. Because he's an assassin and.. It sounds stupid as I say it now. I know and I should have never forgotten that you're not a vile man and that I can always trust you." She clenched her fist, avoiding his gaze.

"We can get that behind us. Now tell me, did something happen to him in Blackwatch?"

Angela took a deep breath in, nestling up on the couch. "We all know Moira's a little.. extreme."

"I am aware. And I've already received a report about her unregistered activity."

"Genji came to me when even Moira couldn't find a solution to the problem of his disengaging prosthetics. She blamed my nerve receptors surgery, apparently. But in the past 5 years, he'd never encountered this problem before. Long story short, I got him to confess that Moira had him and Reyes participate in a project which I had discontinued due to the high risks of artificially enhancing one's abilities."

"A prohibited project with high risks.." Morrison sighed. "And she's done the damage."

"Yes. Genji's lost all synchronization with his body. Temporarily, this time.. I just want you to be aware that whatever she's hoping to achieve with Reyes might be fatal for him."

"I'll look into everything. Every operation and experiment within Overwatch must be accounted for. If she's really doing it behind our backs.. It's something she mustn't get away with." Morrison said, a drop of doubt weighing down his heart. He hoped it was false. To find Gabriel involved in yet another controversy, it'd be a blow he wouldn't be able to cover up for him.

~~

"So the engineers were right." Morrison smiled morosely, crossing his arms over his chest and continued to observe Genji inside the training facility.

He was lightning fast, agile like a cat and fierce like a dragon. His sword glowed green from a certain energy wrapped around the blade.

"The switch really made a difference, didn't it?" Morrison asked the masked man upon his finishing the training.

Genji nodded, raising the sword to get a good look at the blade. "Summoning the dragon is even easier than before. Feels more powerful too." He confirmed.

Overwatch's engineers had a splendid idea to help Genji learn to control the dragon once again even without his family tattoo. They put a mechanism on his sword which, upon pushing the switch, released a sequence of electrical waves which spread from his hands to his entire body, triggering the instincts it took to wield the spirit dragon's power.

"I'm glad." said Morrison, now putting his hands on his back.

It took them 2 years of research, experiments and intensive training to teach Genji to summon his dragon without the dragon tattoo that used to be on his right arm. It took another 3 years to perfect it and develop a weapon that would make the task easier for Genji. In the end, he was a complete Shimada again.

Sadly for Morrison, in the past 5 years they also confirmed that the dragon can only be controlled by a Shimada by blood and only shifted to a regenerating energy as a last resort. There was no way to extract that energy.

Although they couldn't possibly develop spirit dragons for Overwatch to use, they still gained a tenfold strong ally and it was a perfect timing as well.

The last march against the Shimada clan was drawing near. Destination Hanamura - the core.

"Genji, follow me." Strike commander called, gesturing to the door with a nod of his head. The cyborg obeyed silently.

They entered the engineering facility where hundreds of Overwatch agents were scurrying around, building armour and weapons the organization might need.

The two walked up to a short, blonde-bearded man busily working on a large turret.

"Tobrjörn, is it ready?" Commander wondered.

"This old piece of junk? Not until the rust comes off." Tobrjörn scoffed, slapping the turret with his automatic glove.

"I meant agent Shimada's set."

The short man took his goggles off and studied Genji from head to toe. "Right." He nodded and motioned the two to come with him. An automatic door rolled upwards, revealing a squeaky clean, new set of armour made by Overwatch armourers and modified by Tobrjörn specifically for Genji.

"We thought you'd prefer to remain anonymous during the last mission." Morrison reasoned as Genji walked circles around the armour, studying it attentively.

"It looks great." Genji approved. It was a full set which would cover his entire body including his face and the remains of his organic parts. It was silver with green lights, which was quite the turn from Blackwatch's traditional colours.

"I know it doesn't have Blackwatch vibes, nor does it have Overwatch vibes, frankly. But since officially it's your last mission, consider it a farewell gift, Genji."

They both knew Genji wouldn't stay. He'd leave the first chance he got and he was ready. If the mission was successful, that is.

Once they had fitted the new prosthetics, Genji was sent to Angela for further adjustments and tests.

"It looks wonderful! It's a relief to see you in colours other than black and red." Angela commented, checking the nerve receptors. "Everything seems to be in order. You can go ahead and try some physical activity."

Genji jumped, ducked, flipped over his head, kicked. Did everything he'd usually do in combat. It was all smooth and comfortable.

"It almost feels like a real body." He smiled, looking at the palms of his hands as he closed them into fists.

"Right?" Angela exclaimed happily. "There's one more thing I wanted to adjust, Genji." She said sheepishly and produced a lense container out of her pocket, handing it straight to Genji.

The cyborg opened it to see a pair of hazelnut irises.

"What is this?"

"This is the closest I've managed to get to your natural eye colour. A minor eye surgery and you will no longer have these aggressively glowing reds." Angela enthused, smiling widely.

"I don't know if it's necessary.." Genji hesitated, scratching the back of his head.

"I insist. It will provide more comfort as well." She vowed.

"As you say." Genji gave up, sighing tiredly. Angela was trying so hard to make him feel more human and she'd succeeded a couple of occasions in a way Genji thought was out of question for his robotic body.

Angela's miracle hands made the surgery quick and easy with no complications. In less than a day Genji could take the blindfold off and enjoy sighted life again. That was right around the time their final mission was to set off.

"How is it?" Angela asked from beside a tall mirror, watching Genji stare at his face, his faceplate in his hand.

He leaned closer, unblinking. He touched his face, feeling his scars on his cheek with the tips of his fingers.

"Those are my eyes." He said in an almost breaking voice.

"I'm glad." She nodded with a smile.

"Thank you, Angela." He turned to her and bowed deeply.

Commander's voice boomed through the speakers quicker than Angela could have reacted to Genji's bow. The voice beckoned agents to line up for the mission. It was time he was on his way.

"Genji, wait!" The blonde called, making him abruptly turn on his heel.

Without a superfluous word, she closed in and kissed him on the lips briefly.

Genji stared for the whole duration of the kiss, his hazelnut eyes wide agape. Once Angela pulled away from him, his expression crunched in shock momentarily as he gently cupped her face and returned the kiss.

Her arms hugged his back and they held each other until another announcement snapped them back to reality. They broke the kiss apart, bumping their foreheads as Genji's hand caught Angela's chin, his thumb brushing over her lips.

He looked her in the eyes, on the nose, the lips. He wanted to leave kisses all over her face, but time was short.

"Be safe, Genji." Angela averted his eyes and took his hand off of her chin.

She stormed into her office with a loud clatter of her heels and even a louder pounding of her heart.

~~

Genji sat in the helicopter, his head bowed low and arms crossed. Commander Morrison was seated right beside him.

"Feeling anxious?"

Genji just glared for a second before he answered the commander.

"I am about to attack my home and the people who raised me. I _am_ feeling anxious."

"Don't forget those are also the people that betrayed you, son. You're here to deliver justice."

"I am ready." Genji said, clutching his dragonblade. Today was the day he paid in full for his life, today was the day he faced his brother.

"I've a quick question." Morrison said out of the blue, approaching the helicopter door as they were about to reach their destination. "Ever given staying in Overwatch a thought?"

The helicopter door slid open and a strong gush of wind hit Morrison in the face.

"Not at first.." Genji said monotonously, standing next to the commander.

The moment the door opened they found themselves hovering over the Hanamura mansion. The clan was giving them a warm welcome by a line of archers aligned on a partition and ready to shoot. More assassins were flooding the gate and rushing to the high ground.

"Go." Morrison commanded and Genji complied, jumping out of the helicopter straight onto the long partition. His wakizashi cut arrows from left to right as he maneuvered it all around him with inhuman speed. He jumped on top of one of the archers, elbowed the one behind him in the stomach and sent another flying off the partition over his shoulder.

He ducked low, dodging another arrow from the distance while the guards in close range started to draw their swords. He dashed right into the line of armed assassins, shooting shurikens straight ahead. As three bodies fell lifelessly at his feet, he jumped again, now climbing the side of the building. He gripped the frame of a window and burst through the bars using his legs.

"I'm inside." He tapped his earpiece.

"That was fast. We've encircled the place. They're pretty damn tough. Let me know if you need help inside." McCree replied and Genji wordlessly proceeded running down the endless corridors.

Two guards jumped him, blocking the way. Genji bounced off the wall and front-flipped over their heads as his sword knocked theirs out of their hands. He stuck his knee out before abruptly unfolding his leg, sending a foot flying in one of the guard's chin. The other one grabbed his weapon and attacked, parrying with the cyborg for a while.

Finally, one of the swings hit Genji in the shoulder. The guard almost rejoiced when his celebratory smile was turned upside down. His blade sank into the armor, merely scratching it at best. Genji glanced at his shoulder and grabbed the sharp edge of the blade with his right hand, forcing it away from his shoulder. He threw the sword away as the terrified guard crawled backwards.

"W-what are you?!" He asked in Japanese.

Genji raised his head, calmly stepping forward, his dragonblade dragging across the floor.

"Where is the master? Talk." Genji commanded, bringing the tip of his blade to the man's throat.

"In the ceremonial hall! They've gathered there!" As the man confessed the whereabouts of his masters, the cyborg launched the handle of his blade in his noggin and rushed out of the building, towards the said hall which stood past the sakura garden.

"Clean out the building and move East into the ceremonial hall. I'll need backup there." Genji reported to the main channel, getting assurance from the strike commander.

Flashbacks sent pangs of pain throughout his chest as he leaped over the gazebos and rooftops. The sounds of gunshots, slashes of arrows and clashes of metal all died in his ears. The ceremonial hall was where they made the two brothers settle their arguments. It was where Hanzo took his life.

Genji heard a distant chatter and immediately hid behind a wall, peeking over his shoulder to see dozens and dozens of assassins guarding the door to the hall where the elders of the clan were said to be gathered.

Without a second thought, he took a turn left where there was a huge cliff between him and the balcony. There were fewer guards there and they seemed to be scattered far apart. It was a perfect opportunity.

He held onto the bottom of the bannister, waiting for a guard to stroll close enough. Once he was satisfied with the distance, he took his wakizashi by both the tip and the end and stuck it in the guard's mouth, preventing him from making a lot of noise before he pulled him over the bannister.

"What?" The other guard hurried to the place he saw his colleague fall off the balcony. He leaned over, looking for him. Suddenly a figure clutched him by the collar and threw him off, jumping up on the railing as he did so.

Genji stood tall against the rest of the guards, drawing shurikens out of the dispenser on his arm.

~~

The noise from the balcony didn't fail to reach the ceremonial hall. The Shimada elders sat patiently and calmly, all waiting for the newly proclaimed head of the family to take action.

Genji's uncle Masaji sat in the center of the room. His long white hair and thin mustache going down to his chest swayed vigorously as the door to the balcony burst open. In the frame of it stood a cyborg who'd never been seen before.

The elders grew cautious, but Masaji remained unnerved. He rose from his knees slowly, opening his eyes.

"Who dares breach our home?" He spoke loudly, facing the cyborg.

Genji was perplexed. He was told that he'd find master of the clan there, but in front of him were only the elders and his uncle.

"Where's Hanzo?" Genji readied his posture, three shurikens stuck between his knuckles.

Masaji's expression showed no reaction to the question. The old man looked to his sides and the people accompanying him stood up wordlessly. Neither of them looked a at Genji as they separated and lined up at the walls.

"You won't find what you're looking for here. But you've brought calamity upon this place, I can't let you walk away from this." The man drew a long katana right out of his gown's bell sleeve.

"I'm not going to walk away until all of you are handled by Overwatch." Genji retorted, ducking lower into an attacking position.

Genji dashed to the ceiling, launching shurikens towards Masaji. The old man didn't even flinch. He swept two shurikens away with his sword and slightly moved his head out of the way of another.

Falling back down, Genji drew his sword and landed right where his uncle had been standing a split second ago only to clash with a cloud of dust in his place.

"Slow." He heard a voice as a sharp blade aimed to pierce his lungs from behind. Genji dodged barely in time, counter attacking. His sword glided across Masaji's katana's edge, sparks flew in the air as the two leapt away from each other.

Genji raised his sword, aligning it with his shoulder, his foot stepping further behind before he launched his whole body into the opponent.

Masaji ducked low, his katana looking for Genji's throat from below. Cyborg threw his head all the way back, arching his spine inwards. The tip of the katana caught his helmet, slicing it into two pieces right off of his face. Blade cut a vertical line on his lip, cheek and stretched up to his eyebrow.

Pieces of Genji's visor flew in different directions, revealing his heavily scarred face.

Masaji gazed at him through hateful, disgusted eyes.

"So you lived, Sparrow." He grunted, his face wrinkling deeper.

Genji leaned forward, his shoulders loosening, jet black locks fell upon his forehead as he wiped the bead of blood off of his eyebrow. His lip was torn with no bloodshed, exposing a glimpse of his artificial mouth.

"That is not my name." He said through gritted teeth, tightening the hold of his sword.

"Whoever picked you up and made _this_ out of you should have left you to rot." Masaji spat, swinging his sword in the air. Genji blocked the blow, pushing his uncle back.

"You've come back from the dead and threaten your family! I'll give you another opportunity to die, Sparrow!" The bearded man shrieked as white gushes of energy started to rise from his sword.

In front of Genji's eyes two white dragons started to materialize. Masaji hit Genji's abdomen and the energy pierced his body, but before the blade could too, Genji clutched the edge of it and wrestled with his uncle to divert the dragons. Green bolts of lightning flashed out of his eyes and mouth, eventually engulfing him whole.

"You won't call me that ever again." He yelled as his fist broke off the tip of Masaji's katana. He reached for his dragonblade, the green beast already entwined with it, and struck the man with a gale spiritual force, making sure not to injure him with the physical blade.

Masaji collapsed to the ground, his head thrown back. Genji loomed over him, his spirit beast fading into thin air. He brought his sword to his uncle's Adam's apple.

"Where's the master?" The younger Shimada asked again, raising the tip of his sword as a warning.

"Right in front of your eyes." Masaji answered in defeat, causing Genji to raise an angry eyebrow.

"What is the meaning of this? Where's my brother?"

"You are shame to our clan and your pathetic brother failed to see it. He's fled mere days after your demise, couldn't forgive himself." Masaji spat blood in Genji's direction, only splattering his chest plate slightly. "I knew it from the start that neither of you were worthy of ruling our empire."

"There's no honour in what our family does. My brother's only mistake was not seeing it from the start."

"Is there more honour in disrespecting your father?! In abusing your authority for entertainment?! You didn't want anything to do with your heritage, yet you flung it from left to right, lived off of it like a leech while your brother worked hard to make up for your mistakes!"

"I know I've done wrong. You cuss me for threatening my family, yet you all had me, your flesh and blood, executed for my deeds." Genji was growing furious.

"You thought you could get away with everything because you were the youngest, but whether we'd have killed you off or not, a Sparrow you are and will be until your days." Masaji grinned haughtily, about to strike again, but Genji's sword slit his throat open quicker than he could've.

Gasps and sounds of unsheathing swords filled the air. The elders surrounded Genji.

"You'll die here, traitor." One of the Shimada elders stepped forward. Genji twirled the handle of his sword, making it draw a circle before freezing at his shoulder height.

"I can't die yet. She's waiting for my return." He pronounced morosely when suddenly the main gate of the ceremonial hall blew up into shredded pieces. The Overwatch troops started to flood the building and the elders made a run for it, summoning the guards to try and delay the outnumbering enemy troops from capturing them.

~~

"I thought I was clear. We were to get them alive." Morrison lectured as they loaded the ones who they managed to capture into the trucks.

"He almost got me dead." Genji furrowed his eyebrows.

"What will become of this place?" Jesse wondered, walking into the scene with a cigar stuck in his mouth.

"A local sightseeing, most likely." Genji shrugged.

"No sentimentalities?" McCree raised an eyebrow, faintly elbowing Genji in the side.

"They've died together with who I used to be." Genji said with a deadpan expression on his scarred face.

Jesse stood there startled, watching his friend getting into the helicopter.

"So much for advanced armour." One of the engineers sighed, the pieces of Genji's broken visor in his hands. "Hopefully he stays a while before I fix this."

"Oh trust me, he's got a reason." Jesse reassured with a grin. "Anything heard about the young master?"

"We found out he's been gone for years now. His whereabouts are unknown."

"Hopefully they don't drop the charges just because he's disappeared, right?"

"No, if he was to be found, he'd face the law."

"Good to know." McCree fixed his hat, lazily getting onto the helicopter. He seated himself beside Genji who had put a surgical mask over his mouth and was then sorrowfully gazing at the expanses of what once used to be his home.

~~

Once the helicopter landed at the Swiss headquarters, Genji was sent to Angela to patch up his face. She mended the tear on his mouth and put stitches on his eyebrow. A simple bandaid did the trick for his cheek. He was put back in his previous armour while they fixed his visor and polished the new set.

"Your injuries are so minor, what a relief. You do need some rest, though." The blonde said, relaxation written over her face as she leaned on the frame of the door. "Reyes dropped spare clothes for you. And here's a new surgical mask, if you ought to wear it, at least not the bloodied one."

"Yeah.." Genji muttered, catching the bag tossed at him. He got into the blackwatch hoodie, black sweatpants and a pair of sneakers. He sheathed his sword and put it on his back. "I'll get some air."

It was the first time in those long five years that Genji got to walk out of the headquarters on his own. No companion, no earpiece. Nothing tied him to Overwatch any longer.

He walked and walked till the depth of night rolled over the skies, brewing everything in the overflowing cauldron of his mind. Had he become what he'd hated all this time?

"Guilt for what Hanzo did to me drove him away from home." Genji sighed heavily, walking along an empty street in solitude.

He was free. But what was he? A man who'd just helped bring down his own family, a lifeless machine that knew no values? He didn't like either options. All those years he ached and despised his brother, but what was he supposed to feel now? All those unanswered questions drove him up the wall.

It had become around four in the morning when Genji found himself climbing into a window. He carefully pushed the slightly-open frame and sat on the sill, looking around.

The room was completely silent and dark, only a small nightstand spilled some warm light onto an empty, messy bed.

Suddenly, a bright flashlight blinded Genji, nearly causing him to fall off.

"Genji?" A surprised Angela gasped as she lowered her gun, keeping the flashlight on.

Genji shielded his eyes in annoyance. "You can turn it off now." He grumbled.

"Where you've been all day? Everyone's been looking for you." The blonde said whilst putting the flashlight and the gun down.

Genji sat down, letting his legs swing from the window sill. "Don't know. I'm very lost, Angela."

"I'm glad that the black silhouette on my window was you and not an intruder." She muttered sleepily, rubbing her eyes with a thumb and a pointer finger while her other hand reached for the lamp on her nightstand. Her hair was let loose, falling to the middle of her neck. Her sleepwear was nothing but an oversized shirt over a pair of underwear, what Genji couldn't really see until she turned the lights on.

He reddened visibly, his mouth shaping waves as Angela pulled his surgical mask down. He turned his head away abruptly, ducking it low.

"Come on, I want to see your face." She cupped his jaw, gently guiding it to align with hers.

"I don't want you to.." He whispered, swiftly hitting the light switch and dimming the room. He kissed her softly, slowly, savouring every second like it was their last together. He jumped off the sill and took her in his arms, transfering her to the bed.

Angela adjusted herself over Genji, crisscrossing her arms to clutch the hem of her shirt. As she was about to pull it up, Genji took her wrists, interrupting her.

He shook his head, his face burning and eyes saddening.

"You know I can't---"

"Quiet." Angela shushed him, getting her shirt off as she pushed Genji lightly, making him topple on his back, then proceeded to rid him of his clothes.

~~

They laid in silence, looking at each other through partially lidded eyes.

"I thought you had left without saying goodbye."

"I thought it would be the right thing to do.. But I couldn't." He pushed himself up against the bed. Angela mirrored his actions.

"Genji.." She sighed tiredly.

"I can't offer what you deserve in a partner." Genji whispered sorrowfully.

"What are you talking about?" She emitted a nervous chuckle as she nuzzled closer, laying her hands on his shoulders. "You are all I'll ever need." She assured, cupping his face while gazing into it lovingly.

"I'm neither a machine nor a human.. I've spilled my own blood.. I don't know what that has made me into. All I feel is anger and agony." He bowed his head low, resting his forehead on Angela's collar bone. "I want to be able to touch and feel you with not only my left arm.. I just want to be normal and you deserve at least that _normal._ "

He felt something drip onto his hair and it took him aback. He looked up to see her beading fresh tears in the corners of her eyes as they rolled down her cheeks. She buried her face in his black locks, hugging his neck.

"You've been through so much.. Don't you think we deserve this?" She tightened her hold as she felt him trying to break out of it.

"Angela," He started, reaching for her face. "I'm sorry."

"Stay the night. Just one night." Angela begged, and finally he loosened up. He pecked her lips and they sank to the bed again, locking their eyes profoundly.

She wrapped around him protectively, chest to chest, as if afraid he'd fade by the morning.

And he did.


	4. The Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge inspiration <3 I highly recommend watching this masterpiece if you haven't already https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35sk26iKa9g
> 
> Hope you like drama and surprises because this chapter is full of both

"You sure you won't regret this?" McCree asked, astounded.

"Yes. I constantly feel like I'm being held back. I could have helped so many people during the Uprising and the Retribution if it weren't for our military regimen. And the Ana incident I just--- I need to be in my field."

"And you want to tell me it's not connected to Genji's departure at all?" Jesse grinned.

"It's been eight months since that. Jesse, please." Angela hugged her shoulders, abandoning her suitcase.

"Hey, I was hoping to make a joke.. I'm sorry."

"Don't pretend you didn't know Genji was more than just a patient to me. I doubt anyone failed to notice.."

"No I really wasn't sure until now. Forgive me." McCree cleared his throat. "Heard from him yet?"

"In about a month after he disappeared he sent me a letter. He said he's looking to improve.. Nothing since." She deadened, fixing her eyes upon the gates to the Swiss headquarters.

"Are you hoping to, I don't know, stumble upon him somewhere?"

"Maybe, deep within. I'm mostly hoping to help as many people as I can." She smiled.

"So you've moved along."

"What use dwelling on the past.."

"You know Madeline's gonna burst into tears, right?"

"I know that, but she'll cope."

"Betcha don't know _I_ am going to burst into tears." Jesse frowned comically, opening his arms for a hug.

Angela cracked a faint smile, accepting the hug.

"It's just as hard for me to leave you, Jesse."

"Stay in touch, will you?"

"Of course." Her eyes glistened with pooling tears, but she held them back.

Her cab arrived and McCree helped her get the suitcases into the trunk. As she was climbing into the backseat, a blue flash gushed through the gates, swinging them open and a small silhouette appeared in front of the car.

"Doc!" Lena breathed heavily, leaning over the frame of the car with both of her hands.

"Lena." Angela smiled, getting out of the car immediately.

"Lieutenant Reinhardt's arrived from German headquarters. He wanted to see you off as well!"

"He finally made it, huh. Old man's been heartbroken all along that he couldn't attend captain's funeral." McCree remarked.

"I'd rather give him some alone time with Ana. Tell him goodbye from me, okay?" Angela smiled morosely. Lieutenant had a very special bond with the captain, just like McCree did. Due to work, he couldn't have left German headquarters and bid her a proper farewell up until then.

"One more thing, doc!" Lena enthused, producing a paper out of her pocket. "Winston asked me to give this to you. He said it concerned Genji."

"What?" Angela nearly ripped the folded paper out of the petite girl's hold.

Lena merrily grinned at Angela who was hungrily unfolding the letter. "Genji's apparently dropped in on one of our workshops in Nepal."

"So much for moving along." Jesse folded his arms, chuckling heartily.

Angela quickly ran her eyes over the paper. "He checked in for minor repairs. What trouble had he run into..?"

"It's been a while, doc, his prosthetics probably just wore off a little." Lena assured, nodding repeatedly.

"It's advanced armour meant to last him half a lifetime. It can't just wear off unless it's used in battle."

"Those were insignificant bumps, relax." Jesse put a hand on Angela's shoulder.

"Nepal, huh.. He's so far away." Her blue oculars saddened upon the printed lines. Suddenly, she crumpled the paper and tossed it into a nearby bin.

"Woah woah woah!" Jesse's eyes fluttered open widely.

"What? It's just a useless report. It's not like he hand-wrote me a letter." Angela raised an eyebrow.

"True that.."

"What matters is that he's alive and he's okay." She smiled. "Thank you, Lena. Until next time." She waved and got into the cab.

McCree put an arm around Lena's shoulder as they both waved merrily.

"I'll miss doc." Said the girl.

"You better check your mail. That girl's sent you a couple of envelopes, I believe." Jesse teased, making Lena's cheeks burn a bright red colour. "What was her name? Amy?"

"Her name's Emily! And I hate sharing a mailbox with you.."

"What was that? Give her your phone number, then."

"I did that once and had Winston laugh at my attempts to be romantic! Never using the work phone again either!" She ran head first towards the office to fetch her letters.

~~

"Let me assist you, young man." A hand reached out to him. He could tell by the echoing voice it was an omnic. But in the terrible snowstorm, it was impossible to get a good glimpse of him.

He took the hand and was finally able to push his heavy body up against the pile of snow. He wiped himself off, bowing courtly to the kind omnic.

He ended up high in the mountains of Nepal after he had chased down an assassin that was sent after his brother. When were they going to come for him as well? He could only guess they eventually would come knocking on his door.

He lost the track of the assassin and, therefore, of his brother. But there still was a possibility that Hanzo was nearby. He didn't want to waste any time.

"The snowstorm is going to rage on. I shall take you to a shelter." The omnic said melodiously. Only now Genji could see that he wasn't walking but floating above the snow.

Genji was about to decline when he realized his brother might be looking for a roof to stay under as well, and it could be the same shelter. He followed the stranger silently until they reached a small village. Omnic monks were scurrying around, moving their belongings and sweeping snow out of doorways.

"I see you have found the wanderer, Zenyatta." Another omnic approached the two and handed Genji a woollen cape.

Genji ironically glanced down at his body and then fixed his regard upon the omnic again. "Thank you, but.."

"Worry not. We can offer you a room to stay in for the night. The snow is unforgiving here."

"I appreciate it. Who do I owe?" Genji wondered.

"You owe not. My name is Zenyatta. This is my brother Andou. We are the order of the Shambali and this village is our home." Zenyatta motioned Genji to enter a shabby wooden building on the side. "Let's talk inside, the storm is coming."

They went inside a small cottage. There were gaps between the planks, letting all the cold air travel as it pleased inside the room, but the snow stayed outside and the cozy interior gave off certain warmth, like a home.

"And who are you? What brings you here?"

"My name is Genji. I'm an adventurer, I guess."

"One does not simply wander into a remote mountain in the middle of a snow storm."

"I followed someone here, an assassin, in hopes of finding my brother." Genji's fingers lingered at his visor.

Zenyatta flinched, straining visibly. "This is a place of peace. No assassin crosses here."

"You just let one in." Genji announced in a flat voice as he took his mask off, he huffed the icy air in. Tension hung in the room for a few seconds.

"I apologize," Zenyatta said out of the blue. "Was I supposed to recognize you?"

Genji flashed red. He only took his visor off because he wanted to feel the temperature, intimidating the monk wasn't his intent, but just something that slipped off of his tongue in the most unfitting situation.

"No, that's not what I implied." He shook his head.

"I sense a distortion within you. Far more destructive than the snow outside. A human clad in a mechanic body---"

"I'm no human, not anymore." Genji interrupted.

"But you're no omnic either. You are of human lineage, isn't it right?"

Genji nodded. "A lineage of Shimada assassins." He sighed.

"Your clan has proven severable." The omnic put his hands together.

"And I helped bring it down. I've been stripped of values as well as my human form."

Suddenly, a glowing orb gently settled over Genji's head, emitting faint warmth. The cyborg felt at ease, his limbs loosened in relief. He looked up at the orb.

"What is this?"

"Orb of harmony." Zenyatta answered. "It's self-explanatory."

Genji felt so light, he thought he'd start floating just like the omnic.

That night he told Zenyatta his story. How he'd been murdered by his brother and then rescued by Overwatch, how he'd killed his own uncle and was now wandering the world, looking for peace of mind and his lost identity.

"Rage and hatred you've piled on your heart. They'll continue to gnaw at you unless you free yourself of those emotions."

"I am not capable of moving on." Genji admitted in defeat, hanging his chin low.

"I shall teach you that a state of mind can take you far beyond your possibilities. I'll help you find peace with the shadows of the past, I'll make you whole." Zenyatta arose, touching Genji's forehead with the tip of his thumb. Rays of light shone through, engulfing Genji's mind in morbid memories.

It all flashed across his eyes: the hard, painful training, the twin dragons passing through his body, his limbs turning to ash in front of his eyes, the first glance at his wicked, aritificial body, how heavy it felt.

It seemed as if he was reliving those moments, but somehow he wasn't agitated. He felt a tear crawling down his cheek and the monk removed his thumb, throwing Genji back to reality.

"Those memories you bear, those are the scars you carry. You have to look your fear in the face and only then you may move on."

"What are you doing to me.." Again, he wasn't furious. The orb above his head glowed brighter.

"You may be strong to have lived through all that, Shimada Genji, but the real strength is to learn to let go." With a gracious twirl of his hands, Zenyatta took the orb off of Genji, which also took away the feeling of harmony and soundness. Once again he became restless, he felt anger bubbling from the pit of his stomach and after that serenity, it washed over him in the most unpleasant way.

"The Iris will free you, if only you comply with my precept. Do you wish to embrace tranquility?" Zenyatta asked Genji who was now bent in back, completely stomped over.

"I-- I just want to feel _that_ again." The cyborg looked at his hands, shaking.

"We shall make that your permanent state of mind."

~~

Overwatch stood upside down. Emergency sirens boomed to the echo inside the Swiss headquarters. Everyone's attention fixed on the rescue troops that were headed towards the laboratories.

"Everyone, remain calm and follow the evacuation plan! No one is to stay inside!"

Through the tight stream of evacuating people McCree shoved his way towards the strike commander leading the troops.

"Out of my way!" He was furious, confused and utterly terrified.

"Commander Morrison!" He yelled on top of his lungs.

Jack shot him a glance over his shoulder. "Stay out of this, agent, help others reach safety!"

"No way in hell! Gabe's in there!" McCree growled, seeing Jack's face drop.

"You know what's going on in there, don't you, son?"

"I can only guess it's my commander together with our medic." He sighed, keeping the fast pace up with Morrison.

"That's why I want you to stay out of this. For your own sake. At this point it's between Gabe and I."

They reached the floor where agents were already attempting to breach the door.

"The lab is surrounded." One of the agents reported. We're not sure what energy's coming out of there, but it's eating at the walls and pangs shake the place up."

"Get that damned door open! Gabriel Reyes!!" A ferocious Morrison shouted at the steel door when finally it was open.

"Uninvited guests?" Moira smirked, continuing typing something into the computer that Reyes was attached to by wires and needles. There was an enormous glass tube from ceiling to the floor, a wicked-looking liquid bubbling inside.

"Stop this right away, O'Deorain. You and commander Reyes will both be handled by the higher executives, this is an order." Morrison stepped into a destroyed room that reeked of death.

Reyes rose from the surgical table, his head bowed low, black smoke lingering from his skin.

"You're too late, Jack. It's happening. _You_ have failed Overwatch. You let the scum walk the face of the world freely. You've failed to realize how to fight Talon. It is everywhere and you can no longer stop it. You've let Doomfist live, a fatal mistake. I won't let you make those mistakes anymore. You won't be my noose." His voice was distorted, doubled.

"You are charged with high treason." Morrison announced, looking at his old friend through sorrowful eyes.

"We walk different paths from now on."

"Is that what you want to do?! Walk around killing criminals?! What does that make _you_?!" McCree cried out, stepping forward.

"Still raising voice at me, you brat." Gabriel approached the cowboy who swiftly took his revolver out and pointed him at his commander.

"Answer me. What happened to you?! Back in Venice, it wasn't the Gabe I knew. Not the Gabe that swept me up from the streets, gave me a new beginning. Would you have killed me too back then?!"

"No. You were different, a stupid child still prone to change." Gabriel answered, his shotgun raising. "And a stupid child you remained."

A shot. A flinch and surprise.

McCree's bullet had pierced his forehead, yet nothing but black smoke came from the bullet hole.

Troops kept him at the gunpoint.

Blackwatch's commander's silhouette started to diffuse into the same smoke. It spilled to the ground and flowed behind Jesse, rising into Gabriel's form again.

"Fool." Gabriel growled and shot McCree in the waist, impact throwing the cowboy forward with a gale force.

He fell towards the far end of the room by the window, holding onto the sill, he managed to stand, but he was bleeding.

Overwatch's agents' guns roared as soon as Gabriel's shotgun did. Fire broke out and attention was now transferred to Moira, who was draining the troops from behind. They shot their guns in a warning manner, but one of the high energy bullets hit the tube.

The liquid inside started to glow and expand.

"Dimwits!" Moira outraged as she faded into the window, breaking it into a million shards. McCree covered his head, ducking not to get injured any further.

"Out!" Morrison yelled as he pushed the young agent out of the window. Mid-air, Jesse saw him wrestling with Gabriel who was also trying to flee the building. That was the last he saw of both of them before the explosion tore the building down.

McCree crossed his arms over his face as splurts of flame caught up to him. He landed straight in the spring outside.

He stared wide-eyed for a few moments, but as the water around him started to turn red, he swam out and started to limp away from the explosions.

McCree screamed in agony as a scalding hot boulder hit him in the left arm, throwing him down to the ground.

"Fuck-- Fuck!!" He yelled in desparation, trying to pull his arm from under the boulder when suddenly a silhouette formed above him.

Reinhardt's shield protected them from more harm while the man rolled the boulder off of McCree's arm. It was damaged beyond repair.

"Let's get out of here!" Reinhardt roared, helping the injured agent stand.

~~

He laid restlessly, tossed and turned like the sea. Beads of sweat glistening across his face, his teeth clenched and body twitched, lungs let out helpless whimpers.

He was dreaming of the black smoke, of the shotgun looking him in the face. The tongues of flame that burst out of the window, consuming the two commanders.

He woke up in cold sweat, breathing heavily. Something felt off. There was a sharp pain in his middle and also in his hand.. Which he couldn't quite feel. He glanced to his left to see his arm missing up to the elbow. Cleaned and bandaged thoroughly.

He caught his breath and sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at the floor. He was motionless for a few minutes before he clutched the side of his face and broke down crying.

"Why.." He uttered, looking at his shaking hand. "I shot him." He whispered, his eyes gaping.

Suddenly the door swung open and a familiar blonde rushed into the room.

"Jesse!"

McCree shot his gaze upwards. Angela ran straight into him, capturing him in a strong embrace.

"Thank goodness you're alive.." She said in relief.

"Morrison.. He saved me.. Pushed me out of the way.. And then--" The cowboy choked. "First.. the captain.. now.. Gabe and Jack too.."

Angela tightened her hold of McCree, tearing up.

~~

Genji sat still in the shrine, meditating in the early beams of the rising sun. Suddenly, he heard a swishing sound next to his ear, but no sooner had he turned his head that a sphere hit him in the noggin. He swayed back, barely holding his posture.

"Master.." He growled in annoyance.

"You're supposed to be entering zenith, not relaxation. Meditation should never leave you vulnerable, remember that." Zenyatta said, putting his hands together. "There's a long way ahead, my student, but your pace is undeniably impressive."

"Next time I'll definitely dodge."

"I'm certain of it, and then you'll counterattack, and then you'll be the first to apply the blow."

Genji hushed for a moment. "That does sound like mockery."

"You have a temper, Genji, it makes you seek challenges." The omnic sat down next to his student. "You're exceeding in training, yet your spirits are down."

"I think I'm starting to miss people."

Zenyatta didn't emit a word, letting Genji blabber on.

"I don't mean it like you are a bad company, master." The cyborg fixed his words quickly. "I miss the people I used to work with."

"Before, you've told me you held grudge against almost everyone."

"I'm starting to realize now. It wasn't an anger they caused, but the one they awakened constantly. In Blackwatch, they wanted to research the spirit dragon, so they put me through a lot of extreme coaching which might have brought the beast out. We tried everything from making me focused to making me angry and frustrated."

"That sounds horrid, Genji."

"The spirit dragon wouldn't come out and we would wrap up for the day, leaving me with that bottled anger and nothing to take it out on." Genji paused. "I was never really tired physically to even fall asleep after those trainings, which left me in this restless, furious vessel. It's when I started to feel even less like a human. What I had become started to intimidate me."

"Even if your body doesn't need a rest, your thoughts will always be there to exhaust you, your emotions - to drain you and your mind - to fail you. The human side of you will always be stronger than your unbreakable body."

Zenyatta's words brought a faint smile to Genji's face.

"I really want to believe in what you say without having to be reminded of it. But I don't even feel the flow of time anymore." Genji let out a heavy breath, then turned to the omnic and asked.

"How is it for you, master?"

"Time is precious, that I know. We don't have to rest, to sleep, but we can, although during our _sleep_ we're more dead than alive."

"But how does time affect you?"

"We're not born like you, we're built with a certain consciousness and awareness present in our minds. We don't age like you do, but neither are we final products of what we can become. As of now, I've lived twice as little as you have, but you'll agree that I'm probably nothing like a teenager you."

"Don't you think it draws a thick line between omnics and humans?" Genji continued to ask all these questions he'd grown so eager to ask. It was the first time he had such a close, heart to heart conversation with an omnic.

Zenyatta pondered for a moment.

"We may have been built, but we've been built after you. You can't deny that you humans can get influenced by others, opinions and beliefs can very well be forced upon you. You too can be _programmed_. So what is it that really differentiates us, omnics from you? Many believe it is a soul that we lack."

"If it exists at all." Genji chimed in. Zenyatta nodded.

"That is correct. But we have a unique perception of what makes a being. The Iris preaches doing deeds in favour of the greater kindness. But the Iris can't do that for us, it's all coming from our core: we love, we hurt, we think, therefore we are." Zenyatta's body glowed as an orb of energy engulfed him whole, his arms multiplied, arraying clockwise. "You may have a unique, extraordinary body, Genji, but your heart and mind rule over it, ultimately it's your decisions that make you a human."

Once again Genji could feel that peace and harmony, once again he felt whole and relaxed, but even more intensively than the last time. He closed his eyes and let his memories flow through his mind.

Those weren't the morbid memories anymore. Instead, there were the happy days: goofing with his roommate late at night, getting scolded by Reyes later, there was Angela, her genuine tears for his pain, her care, her embrace, her nestled up on his chest, his arms around her bare waist. He missed it all greatly, he missed her.

"It's all gone." Genji whispered, feeling weak.

Zenyatta descended back to his preferred floating height and let the energy around him fade into the thin air.

He closed the gap between Genji and him and put his thumb on the cyborg's forehead, his palm resting on the top of his head.

"You've freed your mind, my student. Never doubt yourself again." He said as a tiny flash of light struck Genji's forehead once again.

"She flashed through your mind just now, didn't she?"

"Yes.."

Suddenly, Genji ducked, one of Zenyatta's orbs flying over his head from behind.

"Well done." Zenyatta cheered. "Your training is complete."

"Master, I'm forever grateful." Genji stood on his knees and bowed in the most respectful manner. "I feel I must set off. I still haven't found my brother."

"Go with peace, my student, and remember that this place will always be a home to you."

~~

The news about Overwatch's shutdown had reached Genji, but that's about all he knew. It had been two more years since the fall of the organization when he left Nepal.

He didn't know where to start, who to find first. But upon entering the real world once again, he learned that most Overwatch agents had been pronounced and treated as criminals by the public. Genji was sad and confused upon seeing news articles cuss out his former organization, his commanders and comrades.

Someone needed to give him answers.

He headed to where the headquarters used to be, only to see an area under construction in its place. The explosion had done its damage and the local authorities did the rest to sweep Overwatch under the rug.

Genji managed to find the burial ground of the fallen on that day agents and for the first time panic started to bubble in the pit of his stomach.

Morrison and Reyes were both dead along with about dozen of others while Genji hadn't heard from Angela in years. He anxiously skimmed through graves, saddening each time upon recognizing a name. Finally, he found himself and a stranger facing Strike Commander Jack Morrison's grave. The stranger had a long, hooded cape on and a sniper rifle on their back.

The stranger turned their masked face to Genji, but before he could utter a word, the masked sniper pulled out a small gun and shot Genji in his left shoulder. A small dart stuck in his armour as Genji dashed onto the attacker. Suddenly, he felt a needle pierce through his armour and prick his skin. He collapsed into an instant slumber. He was conscious, he could see the person running away, but couldn't move or talk at all. It felt like his body had been chained down.

Once the drug, or magic, or whatever it was wore off, Genji stood up quickly, flexing his muscles to make sure he was once again in control of his body.

He stared dumbfounded in the direction the stranger had run off to, wondering if it was a mere coincidence that he got shot in his organic shoulder.

Looking through eyes of doubt, he hurriedly picked up the trace of the attacker, but ended up empty-handed. Having decided to ask around, Genji discovered that the sniper he had come across earlier was highly convicted in a few countries, mostly Egypt.

"A wanted criminal at Jack Morrison's gravestone.. Shoots me where they know they'll strike me with the drug." Genji furrowed his eyebrows together before shaking his head violently. "I'm overthinking."

He went back to looking through the graveyard and felt relief when he couldn't find Angela Ziegler's tomb. Although a tragic death of a famous doctor would have been all over the news, Genji had rather been safe than sorry.

That night panic arose in Switzerland. Valuable technology from the local medical center had been stolen, technology that Genji later learned had been developed by no other than Angela Ziegler.

~~

There she was. Clad in her work attire, her hair tied into a neat bun on top of her head. Worry-washed face and a clipboard hugged to her chest.

She was talking to the investigator, describing what she saw in detail.

"Breathe, miss Ziegler." The officer tried to calm the distressed woman down.

"I'm sorry I just.. don't understand the motive." Angela let out a big breath, letting her arms loose. "Whoever stole it must have needed help for someone or-- this hospital is open for everyone it must have been stolen for something else--" She stuttered.

"We shall find the thief, miss Ziegler, rest assured your technology won't be used for evil deeds."

"Thank you." Angela sighed nervously, still looking for reasons in her head.

Having filled in reports and talked to the investigator who identified thief as the infamous "Shrike", the blonde doctor called it a day at the hospital and went home. For the first time in twenty years of her career she left work early.

And little did she know she'd be beating herself over it for the rest of the night. She called Madeline eight times, handling some patients over the phone which, in fact, Madeline could have done without Angela's advice.

"Doctor Ziegler, please, take a break and have a peaceful night. You've been through enough today, I can handle the hospital."

"Al-alright, Maddie, thank you so much."

"I'm serious, Doc, I'm blocking your number for the night. If there's an emergency, call the office." With a merry laughter, Madeline hung up, leaving Angela with absolutely nothing to do in her apartment.

"What did that Shrike use on me.." She grumbled in German, looking at her arm where the thief had pricked her with an unknown substance that restrained her movement for mere seconds.

"My biotic healing technology for external use.. Why'd someone steal that? How'd someone know about it in the first place?" It puzzled her.

Suddenly, she heard someone shift in her bed.

She turned in her swivel chair noisily, expressing her annoyance with the extended stay of her guest.

"Made yourself at home?" She asked, tapping on the arm of her chair.

A solemn laughter was heard in reply. "I'll be off before the sunrise, I promise, Angie." The guest said as he rolled out of bed and pulled a shirt over his head.

"I liked 'doc' better."

"Shrike's really gotten on your nerves."

"It doesn't make it easier that I have a wanted criminal in my apartment."

"Heeey I'm no criminal. I do good deeds people don't understand."

"I imagine that's how Gabriel would've explained his actions to a five year old."

"Shut up."

"Hey.. I'm sorry. He meant a lot to me too." Angela hopped off her chair and ran up to the man. She slung her arms over his shoulders from behind, leaning her head on his back. "What's it like walking around with a price tag around your neck?"

"Quite exciting." Jesse chuckled bitterly.

"You're going to end up dead. Someone will come for that 60 million."

"I'd like to see them try." The tall man turned around and looked the petite blonde in the face. "I'll be gone without a trace. Nobody will bother you."

"I know that." She hugged her shoulders in discomfort.

"Tell me, are you still sentimental about the.. the old days?" He gently brushed the back of his fingers across her face before he gave it up a second later.

"Jesse, I thought we left that behind us. As far as I can remember you, you've always been jealous."

Jesse smirked, sticking a cigar between his lips. "You were almost mine, then suddenly Fareeha swept you off your feet. I wasn't jealous, I was straight up mad."

Angela quickly removed the cigar from his mouth before he could light it. "No smoking in my house."

"Then Genji. There was nothing I could do. Fate just kept bringing these people upon you."

"And you kept doing nothing about it, Jesse."

"Genji's been gone for how many years now? Why can't you give up the ghosts?"

She mused silently, avoiding McCree's eyes.

"I don't know. I've never felt this way before. He had a thick shell of anger and hatred, yet with me.. He was so fragile, so gentle. I guess I liked that he was different just for me, that he was all mine."

"Guess you liked that he had nearly crushed your head to mush the day he woke up." The man scoffed.

Infuriated, Angela scrunched her face, balling her hand into a fist.

"You know, I hated him for that, I hadn't met the guy yet I wished I was there so that I could have put a bullet through his skull. But then he became my roommate, and he was.. I could see a tortured soul. And I grew to like him." He pressed his back to a nearby wall. "It'd been so hard to like him, seeing the way you look at him."

"Jesse.."

"No, I'm going somewhere with this, I promise." He chuckled. "Then Ana was killed and finally, Reyes' betrayal. I decided that life is done fucking me over, so I went to track down everyone who's fucked me up. Everyone. I started with Ana and Gerard's killer - Amelie Lacroix - and her trail brought me to Ilios. Fascinating place, it is. A place that homed Shimada Hanzo for a while."

Angela's eyes stared agape, her hand to her mouth.

"Genji's brother?" Her voice nearly broke.

"Yes. _The_ brother that took his life. I had no idea who he was when I saw him. Wounded, bleeding to his death. Three assassins lying lifelessly at his feet."

"What did you do?"

"Obviously, helped him. That square jaw and long black hair did it's magic. He was as good of a company as a tumbleweed: secretive, silent. But slowly I cracked his shell and he talked, he even smiled, once. I grew to like him despite all these signs. I was pushing them to the back of my head, convincing myself that it wasn't him, but he revealed it in the end, his name."

"How could you have been sympathetic to a killer?!"

"Are you the one to tell me that, Doc?" Jesse smirked. "Rejoice though, we've both fucked a Shimada now."

A swing in McCree's face. He didn't even try to catch it.

"I deserve that."

"What did you do?! Where is his brother now?!" Angela raised her voice, pacing up and down the room.

"I-- he went on with his journey."

"Jesse, you are infuriating me!"

"What would you like me to do, to kill him?"

"No, but--"

"I'm not exactly in the position to bring him to the police or something."

Angela gave up. She sat on the couch and put her hands over her face.

"Genji.."

McCree sat next to her, draping his arm over her shoulder as he rocked her gently. "One thing I'm sure about is that, no matter what obstacle they face, these brothers stick their neck out of everything." He said with a smile. "Shit. Doc, I'm thinking about Hanzo now. Where's he gone, I don't know. He and his brother are very alike."

"They're nothing alike! That man is vile, a cold-blooded murderer! Genji is nothing like that!"

"He's broken, full of regret. He's nothing like I had imagined him to be." But he wished Hanzo was like he had imagined, it would have been so much easier for him.

"Do you remember the mystery man sneaking into the Shimada household every year on the same day?"

"It was Hanzo?"

"Yes. On the memorial day, every year, no matter where life takes him, he comes there to honor Genji's memory."

"It doesn't change much now, doesn't make up for what he did."

"I haven't told him Genji's alive. It's not my call to tell him, to take that weight off of him. And it's hard."

Angela's face softened, she gazed into the window wearily. "You know what's harder? Driving a blade through your own brother."

McCree frowned, nodding his head.


End file.
